


Sands of Time

by SheerIridescence



Category: Warframe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 14:53:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18813181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheerIridescence/pseuds/SheerIridescence





	Sands of Time

Time did not always pass in quite the same way for some people. You, a Tenno, did not exactly have a normal life to begin with anyway. Specifically, you were a bit older than your fellow teenage Tenno when you were still around, before the war, and before your dream. In Earthly years, you were approximately twenty, maybe a few months older, but you still participated in everything your fellow Tenno did, learning alongside them. You were one of the few of a slightly older generation to have the power of transference, and to have endured the war that broke out across the star chart. Along with the others, you were put into a cryosleep to protect you from further damage of the war, as even an older Tenno such as yourself was not able to bear the weight of a war on their shoulders. That was where your life began to greatly differ from your peers though.

Over the extremely long period of time that you slept, the old war passing and a new age emerging, you ever so slightly aged. For you, the effects of cryosleep weren’t perfect, a defect in your pod gradually aging you as you slept. When the time for you to awaken came and your Warframe retrieved you from the pod, albeit slow, you had come out biologically aged to be roughly in your late twenties, maybe even thirties. Upon recovery you noticed that you weren’t perfectly preserved, but you really didn’t mind. Your mind aged with your body, and you felt much more mature and wiser, filled with so much more understanding. You seemed to be able to gather information from the universe thank to your transference, so your responsibilities were clear, and you took them up with the greatest possible skill. Finding your friends would come eventually. Preparing for a new war though, was now.

Working under the instruction of the Lotus you maintained the balance of the system, preparing for the sentient war that was slowly creeping up on you. You truly felt ready and safe, until she turned out to be a sentient and left you by yourself. Having skipped parts of your life the betrayal came as a huge shock to you, not quite knowing how to handle it. The only thing that kept you going was your strong will and maturity. Though confused, you worked on, Ordis being your only guide now. His brutal but well-meant honesty kept you sane despite your reluctance to form any sort of bond with people or creatures other than your Warframes at this point.

You operated as a lone Tenno for a long time, simply set on fixing the system and making things right. Other people’s personal affairs were never your thing, but a lot of missions you went on turned out well with great rewards. Over a few months this helped you break out of your constant distrust, earning new Warframes to take with you on your journey. One particular mission of recent though had you questioning having more intimate relations with other beings.

It was the job you had taken up to assist the void trader Baro Ki’Teer. Over the course of all the series of events, you had a sneaking suspicion that the mysterious transmissions you were receiving were about Baro himself. His reactions and refusals to enlighten you on the situation only reinforced that. By the time you had finished each battle and received the Warframe Inaros as your reward, it had become clear on who exactly Baro Ki’teer was. He was the lone survivor of the original Martian colony that was completely wiped out not too long ago due to Grineer invasion, and the Warframe you obtained was supposed to be their saviour. Those transmissions were the voice of his mother, and that’s why he sounded so broken with a refusal to explain. Experiencing this with him had moved you to a degree, and you softened towards the trader, as well as had the sudden desire to spend more time with him.

That was why you questioned the possibility of you having deeper relations with people. The only problem was this person came about once every two weeks for a couple of days before vanishing again. Baro Ki’Teer was a mysterious trader, but after being moved by his story you just had to insert yourself his life as much as possible. Every time he visited a relay you would show up in your favourite Warframe, and he began to recognize you by the frame and colour scheme. You tried to talk more, but the eager customers limited the time you had. Following him on his void collection runs was impossible and you had no idea what his ship looked like or where he went, and you had a feeling he went deeper than the known explorable regions you’ve been to.

In wait for his next relay visit you had been practicing and perfecting the frame Inaros, wanting to bring it in its prime for him when you received an inbox message. It turned out that Baro Ki’Teer had a bit of interest in you as well, as he had found out you unique inbox code and sent you personal transmissions. The messages started out a little awkward for an adult conversation, but it eventually turned into a consistent back and forth conversation on the treasures he found and his next relay visit. He told you which relay he would be at and the exact time he would be opening sales. This gave you a good time frame to finish preparing Inaros. You decided that you would show up early to greet him when the relay wasn’t busy. The urge to see him grew stronger, and the only way to quench it was to do so. Over all the years of experience you’ve had before and after the war, including the unexpected maturation, you had no idea how to properly cope with those feelings. You’d figure it out though.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The day of Baro Ki’Teer’s relay arrival came and you were prepared. You didn’t exactly tell him that you would be so early through transmissions, but you did say you would be there. Taking out Inaros you docked your landing craft at the relay and rushed into the main hub. Due to your timing Baro was still setting up, but when he turned around and saw you his reaction was that of shock. He could tell it was you by the colour scheme you had chosen for Inaros, but seeing the frame up and about again after so long was another shock of it’s own kind.

“That’s you _______, right?” Baro spoke first, stepping down from the podium. “Y-you’re early. I don’t open up shop for at least another thirty minutes.”

“I know. I came early on purpose. To talk to you without the mob.” You replied, the energy of your frame glowing with the cadence of your speech. “Ever since I obtained Inaros, I’ve been drawn to you, and your story.”

He scoffed, sitting down on his podium. “Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in you as well. The oldest Tenno and the last Martian. A unique combo.”

“Yeah. With all we’ve been through, I at least owe you my face.” You then said, transferring out of your Warframe and standing before him as your true self.

He rose to his feet, stunned by your appearance. “Oh wow. You’re rather beautiful, Tenno. I… Did not expect you to show yourself.” He remarked, blushing a little at the fact that he had been unknowingly communicating with such a mature and beautiful woman.

“It’s _______.” You corrected casually, getting butterflies from the compliment. “I just… Hoped to have more of a conversation with you in person rather than over transmissions. Your life story genuinely moved me, which is why I brought this frame. Possibly to spark some pride, I hope.”

“Well _______, I don’t know if seeing this Warframe fills me with pride or resentment. Its lack of power then lost me my family, but it seems like you’ve taken good care of it.” He sighed.

“I’ve optimized it to be the best it can be. I will use it and fight like the warrior you always dreamed it to be. I want to use it to protect our solar system and… To protect you.” You told him, clenching your fists.

“Protect… Me? Why?”

“I… Don’t know. The transference within me, and the void… They tell me it’s important. I’m extremely drawn to you.” You started, not quite able to figure out how to say what you wanted to say. “Ah, by the damn void, I’ve been alive for hundreds of years and I haven’t the slightest on how to tell someone I’m romantically interested in them.” You finally sighed, blushing slightly.

Baro chuckled, crossing his arms. “I guess you never got to experience that part of your life.”

“Y-yeah…”

You swore you could see a small tear slip from under his mask as he approached you, uncrossing his arms. “You know, I’m honoured by all you’ve said. Honoured that you want to protect me and… that you’re so deeply interested in me. I think I can throw away my pride to accept that. To accept your protection, and what is most certainly your love.”

As Baro took his last steps towards you, he leaned in at an angle and closed the last of the gap with his lips gently pressed to yours. Because you were never taught about it, you were unsure of the feeling you received. Your transference sparked within you though and you knew this was what you wanted, and that the feeling was certainly love. This was your desire, and it quenched that feeling that made your heart beat fast. He too, felt a sense of relief. Baro hadn’t felt much after the loss of his colony. Sure there were beautiful women, but now his heart beat for more than just Ducats and treasures. His sad past was whisked away into the sands of time, now lost as he found a new place to start from.

Carefully the two of you parted, having learned something from each other. Smiles were on your faces, and you gripped each other’s hands with the power of the void pulsing between you. You wanted to say more, but the sound of incoming landing crafts could be heard at the bays just outside. Soon the relay wouldn’t be empty, and your private moment would be gone.

“Here come the early buyers.” Baro said, sounding sad.

“I’ll come back soon, so don’t worry. You can take me to your ship, or I’ll take you to mine. Either way, we won’t be apart for long.” You grinned.

With that you whisked away into your frame, enveloped in pulsing beautiful void energy waves. You gave him a nod, and he waved, you turning your proud Inaros and bullet jumping away back to your ship. Just a couple more days and you’d see him again. To learn more, see more, and keep that feeling fulfilled.


End file.
